Not negotiating. That’s what the state of Maine did when the administration tried to bully them into banning trans athletes from K-12 sports. The governor refused to budge, and the administration backed off.
Yes, it’s painful. And, yes, it could cost jobs (again, acutely aware of this given my own position). But this is about the future of higher ed in this country. If it’s going to change radically, let it be on the universities’ terms, not the president’s.